Prevalence and Associated Factors for Non-Utilisation of Postnatal Care Services: Population-Based Study in Kuwadzana Peri-Urban Area, Zvimba District of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

A cross-sectional study of 466 mothers and a case control study (31 cases and 99 controls) were conducted in a peri-urban town of Kuwadzana, Zimbabwe. The objectives were to determine the prevalence and associated factors for non-utilisation of postnatal care (P0NC) services. A logistic regression analysis was done in order to adjust for confounding factors. The prevalence of non-utilisation of PNC was 10.1% (95% CI 7.4, 12.8%). Respondents who belonged to the Apostolic religion and who had non-medical birth attendance during the last birth were 2.17(95% CI 1.11, 6.62) and 5.30 (95% CI 1.90, 14.79) times more likely not to have utilised PNC services. Religion and birth attendance should be considered in interventions geared towards reducing the non-utilisation rate of PNC services. (Afr J Reprod Health 1999; 3 [2]: 25-32)


Key Words: Prevalence, factors, non-utilisation, postnatal care, Zimbabwe